Liquid heating and vaporizing system



LIQUIDHEATING AND VAPORIZING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 2, 1954 Patented July 9, 1935 PATE LIQUID HEATING ANlD VAPORZING SYSTEM Edward F. Kelley, Jr., Bar Harbor, Maine Application February 2,

10 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates toV liquid heating and vaporizing systems and more particularly to a heating unit of a supplementary or subsidiary nature which is adapted to be connected in a heating system utilizing either a hot water or steam heating boiler.

The operation `of boilers originally designed and constructed for the burning of coal or like solid fuels which have been convertedover to the burning of fluid fuels by the installation of an oil burner unit, for example, has been found to be ineiiicient due to various causes, among which may be noted the improper spacing, due to their design, of the heat absorbing surfaces of the boiler over the burner flame, a too short travel of the gases of combustion in relation to the heat absorbing surfaces, and a hit andmiss relation between the location of the heat absorbing surfaces and that of the flame, which latter is relatively localized. The foregoing disadvantages of the known constructions and practices result in an inefficient extraction of heat from the oil burned, and such converted boilers are therefore ineflicient and duly expensive in operation.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of a supplementary or subsidiary unit for connection with a boiler converted to the stantial increase in efficiency and economy of the i boiler is obtained. A further object is the provision of a supplementary unit of the above character which is accompanied by features of improved design and which may be readily connected in existing boilers. A further object is the provision of a supplementary heating unit for use with steam or hot water heating boilers, with the unit being sufficiently flexible to permit its application to boilers of the aforesaid type. A further object is the provision of a supplementary heating unit which may be installed and connected in hot water or steam heating boilers, without taking the boiler apart, and which upon installation is readily accessible for inspection and repair through the conventionalopenings, such as through the` cleanout, lire, and ash pit doors of the boiler. A further object is the provision of a supplementary heating unit,A for connection with a boiler, having high heat `absorbing properties and which is capable of expansion and contraction in accordance with the heat applied thereto. A further Vobject is the provision of a supplementary heating unit of the aforesaid character which is so designed as to increase the heat abof a large quantity of water to be heated.

193i, senin No. 709,544

Other objects will be in YOFFICE part obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out in connection with the following analysis of this invention, wherein is illustrated one of the various possible embodiments of the present invention, together with certain modifications in detail.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is an elevation of the supplementary or subsidiary heating unit in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the unit illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings,` particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the supplementary unit is comprised by a lower header generally designated at lli, a plurality of coils ll,

and an upper header The said bottom header may comprise a square cored casting molded in the formof the major arc of a circle, the diameter of which is inthe nature of 16 inches although this may be larger in proportion to the increase in the diameter or length of the grate of the boiler in which the unit is to be installed. The water Way I5 in the cored casting IU is advantageously about 2 inches by 2 inches.

A plurality of tappings i3, in the instance shown six in number, are provided in the upper horizontal wall of. casting lli and are preferably spaced equal distances from each other as illustrated in Fig. 2. The under horizontal wall of casting ll! is provided With two tappings lll, one located at the rear portion of the casting and the other near the front portion, two such tappings being provided for convenience' in connecting the casting to the return line of the heating system, it being understood either one of said tappings is open and that the remaining one is closed by a plug Ma or the like.

The upper header l2 may consist of a hollow conical or dome-shaped casting having a water neighborhood of 8 inches.

way IG (Fig. 3) and in overall diameter is in the The bottom annular Wall of the casting I2 is provided with a plurality of tappings I'I, and in the instance shown six such tappings are shown to correspond to the number of tappings I3 provided in the bottom casting I0.

The cone-shaped walls of casting I2 are each provided at its apex with a tapping, the central tapping on the top wall being designated at I8 and the central tapping of the bottom wall being designated at 20.

Between the top and bottom castings I2, IU, respectively, extend a plurality of the coils I I, such coils being preferably three-fourths inch copper tubing. In the illustrated form of the invention, four such coils are shown. Any number of coils as limited by the number of tapings I3, I'I may be utilized. The said coils are helically wound throughout their body portion, and their typical dimensions are as follows: The diameter of each coil is approximately 6 inches overall, with a 1-inch space between each turn and measuring 16 inches overall when ready to install. The copper tubing used in constructing the coils is to have a bursting pressure of 3500 lbs. to the square inch. Each of the coils is provided with end legs 2l, said legs being connected to the castings IS and I 2 as by adaptor nipples 22, the said nipples being screwed into the tappings I3 and I'I of castings IIJ, I2, respectively. Such adaptors 22 form a union joint of the type now used to connect copper tubing to iron pipe size threads.

The unit as indicated in Fig. 1 may be installed in the combustion space of a boiler, with the burner body passing through the opening between the ends of castings III and with the header I@ and coils II disposed in a circle extending about the burner nozzle. Where the oil burner installan tion includes a re-brick Wall surrounding the burner unit, the casting IG may be set to rest on top of said wall. Optionally, the unit may be supported on a standard consisting of a plurality of vertical legs 25 provided with floor flanges 26, the upper ends of which may be threaded into bosses 21 provided on the under wall of casting I0. The said legs will thus support the unit from the bottom independently of the boiler or lire pot construction.

The supplementary unit is connected to a steam or hot water boiler in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein is indicated generally a steam or hot water boiler of the square sectional type, with the unit being mounted on the fire brick wall surrounding the burner, or on the supporting legs 25. In such a typical arrangement, Sii indicates the return line from the system into whlch a T-coupler 3l is inserted so that a portion of the return supply may be by-passed through pipe line 32 which may extend under and forwardly of the boiler and thereupon, reversely, for connection to one of the tappings III with which casting I EB is provided. Alternatively, the by-pass connection may extend directly from the coupler SI to the tapping Iii through line 32a. By either of the aforesaid connections, the heating unit is supplied with water from return line 33 of the system.

Where the boiler illustrated in Fig. 4 is of the steam heating type, an outlet connection 35 is provided, such connection being made through tapping I8 of dome I2. In this type of connection, the tapping E@ in the under wall cf dome i2 is plugged with a cast-iron plug 36 and, by the provision of a cast-iron plug 3G so arranged, the usual fusible plug of the boiler is not interfered with in any way. The connection 35 may extend rearwardly and then upwardly, and then forwardly through the flue space to follow the fire travel. The connection may then be run through the clean-out door of the boiler and thence may be connected into the blow-off opening above the water line of the boiler, as indicated at 38, or, alternatively, into the steam main 39 leading from the boiler as by a suitable connection (not shown).

Where the boiler illustrated in Fig. ll is a hot water boiler, the connections between the return line and casting'IEl are the same as previously described. With a hot water boiler, however,

the dome I2 is connected as by a connection (not shown) to any section of the boiler having a tapped opening 43. In this connection, it is to be noted that all square boilers are provided with a tapping for a fusible plug and, when the boiler used for hot water, such fusible plug is removed and connection may be made with the dome I2.

Referring to Fig. 5, wherein a steam or hot water circular boiler is diagrammatically illustrated, the unit may be mounted on the rebrick wall surrounding the burner unit or may be supported from the standards 25 previously described. In nearly all round boilers at present used, there is provided a tapped opening in the section above the re pot for insertion of a fusible plug. Where the boiler generally indicated in Fig. 5 is a steam boiler, such fusible plug may be removed from the boiler section and the dome I2 connected by a short nipple t5 directly to the steam space of a boiler, in which event a fusible plug is inserted in the tapping of the upper header in place of the cast-iron plug 39 (Fig. 3) and takes the place of the fusible boiler plug removed for the aforesaid fitting.

If the boiler represented in Fig. 5 is a hot water boiler, dome I2 is connected by the use of the short nipple I5 directly into the plug opening, if such opening is in the center of the section. Where the opening is not provided in the center section, as is the case in some boilers, suitable connection may be made to the opening in the section where it occurs. Where the hot water boiler is not provided with a tapped opening, a section overlying the dome I2 may be tapped and connection made between the section and dome I2 as by the short nipple i5 aforesaid.

From the foregoing description, it will be un-` derstood that the burner unit extends into the front of the boiler, and the supplementary unit will accordingly face toward the front; that is, the opening between the ends of the bottom header III faces frontwardly. If occasions arise Where the burner unit has been installed through the side or rear of the boiler, the supplementari,IY heating unit will of course be turned to face thc burner so that the burner unit will extend through the opening between the ends of the bottom header I0.

By the above described construction, the unit as installed forms a part of the boiler as all parts contact either with the flame or are in direct thermal relation to the products of combustion. Consequently, the heat absorbing surface of the boiler is materially increased without the addition of a large quantity of water to be heated. Further, the construction of the coils is such that the coils will expand and contract according to the heat applied thereto, and this flexibility of the unit tends to substantially increase its life over known constructions while at the same timeproviding a higher degree of heat absorption than is provided in the known constructions.

The arrangement of the copper tubingl made into coils which are directly exposed to the flame further allows more water to come into contact with the fiame and heats it by heat conduction. The use ofv the aforesaid arrangement in any cast-iron oil burning boiler, either water or steam, will heat the water much faster with less oil and with a lower stack temperature.

The mechanical features of the supplementary unit are such that the unit may be installed and connected in the boiler without taking down the latter or disturbing it in any material manner. When installed, it is readily and easily accessible for inspection, cleaning and repair through the usual clean-out, fire, and ash pit doors of the boiler.

Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehened within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

l. The combination of a heating boiler having outlet and return connections, an oil burner unit arranged therein, and a supplementary heating unit mounted in the boiler including horizontally disposed upper and lower headers and a plurality of vertically disposed heating coils arranged between and connected with said headers, the lower header extending partially about the burner nozzle, with the ends of the lower header being spaced to provide an opening through which the burner unit extends, the lower header having a connection with the return connection to the boiler and the upper header delivering through the outlet connection of the boiler.

2. The combination of a heating boiler having outlet and return connections, an oil burner unit arranged therein, and a supplementary heating unit mounted in the boiler including horizontally disposed lower and upper headers, the lower header consisting Vof a hollow arcuate member, and a plurality of vertically disposed heating coils arranged between and connected to said headers, the burner unit extending between the ends of said lower header and the coils being arranged about the nozzle portion thereof the lower header having a connection with the return connection to the boiler, andthe top header delivering through the outlet connection of the boiler.

3. The combination of a heating boiler having outlet and return connections, an oil burner unit arranged therein, and a supplementary heating unit mounted in the boiler including horizontally disposed lower and upper headers, the lower header consisting of a hollow arcuate member, the ends of said member being spaced and the burner unit extending through the space between said ends, the upper header consisting of a hollow conical member, and a plurality of vertically disposed heating coils arranged between and connected to said headers, a connection between the lower header and the return connection to the boilers, and a connection from the upper header delivering to the outlet of the boiler.

l.`A supplementary heating unit for installation a boiler ired by a uid fuel burner unit comprising a horizontally disposed lower header of generally arcuate shape, the ends of the header being spaced whereby the burner unit may extend therebetween, an upper header having a circularportion,v the headers being each provided with a tapping providing inlet` and outlet connections, and a plurality of heating coils disposed between and connected to said headers, said coils being disposed along the arc of the lower header.

5. A supplementary heating unit comprising a horizontally disposed lower header consisting of a cored casting extending along the major arc of a circle, the ends of the casting being spaced whereby the burner unit may extend therebetween, an upper header comprising a hollow dome-shaped casting, the headers being each provided with a tapping providing inlet and outlet connections, a plurality of helically wound coils disposed between and connected to said headers, the coils being disposed in spaced relation along the arc of said lower header.

6. A supplementary heating unit comprising a horizontally disposed lower header consisting of a cored casting extending along the major arc of a circle, the ends of the casting being spaced whereby the burner unit may extend therebetween, an upper header comprising a cored conically shaped casting, a plurality of helically wound coils disposed between and connected to said headers, the lower header having at least one tapping to provide a connection with a source of Yfluid supply, the upper header being provided with aligned tappings in the apices of the conical walls thereof, one of said tappings providing a connection to an outlet line, and a plug inserted in the other of said tappings.

7. A supplementary heating unit comprising a horizontally disposed lower header consisting of a cored casting extending throughout the major arc of a circle and having an inlet aperture, the ends of the casting being spaced whereby the burner unit may extend therebetween, and upper header comprising a cored casting having an outlet aperture, a plurality of helically wound coils extending between and connected to said castings, the coils being spaced with relation to each other along the are of said lower casting, and means for supporting said lower casting from a horizontal surface.

8. A supplementary heating unit comprising a horizontally disposed lower header consisting of a cored casting extending along the major arc of a circle and having a supply aperture, the ends of the casting being spaced whereby the burner unit may extend therebetween, an upper header comprising a hollow circular casting having an outlet aperture, and a plurality of helically wound coils extending between and connected to said headers, the coils being spaced with relation to each other along the arc ci' said lower header, and the coils being capable of expansion and contraction in response to temperature conditions.

9. A supplementary heating unit for installation in a boiler fired by a fluid fuel burner unit comprising horizontally disposed lower and upper headers, the lower header being shaped to extend around the re box of the boiler ,and being interrupted to provide an opening for the insertion of the burner unit therethrough, a plurality of heating coils vertically disposed between and connected to said headers, the lower header having a tapping providing an inlet connection thereto, and the upper header having a tapping providing an outlet connection therefrom.

10. A supplementary heating unit for installation in a boiler fired by a fluid fuel burner unit comprising horizontally disposed lower and up- 10 per headers arranged in substantially concen- 

